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James
James the Splendid Red Engine is a conceited and vain Lancaster and Yorkshire Railway Class 28 Tender Engine who works on the NWR and lives on the Island of Sodor. He is a mixed traffic engine, which means he can pull goods and passengers, though he prefers passengers. He arrived on the Island in 1925, and was originally painted black, but was soon repainted red and given the number 5. History Pre-SOTN James was constructed in 1914 as an experimental build for the L&YR Class 28 and worked well. However, the designers and builders didn't make any more of him, as this build could be temperamental at times, and sluggish to control. He was put into service as a goods engine for most of his life on the line. He found this very boring, and longed to pull coaches, but the director of the railway wouldn't allow him, as he was prone to malfunction if he was left sitting for too long, which would lead to large clouds of steam and water, which would cover the passengers and give them bad opinions of the railway. In 1922, the L&YR merged with the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), which meant that experimental engines like James were used less due to there being more 'proper' engines available for use. The final blow struck James in 1923, when the combined LNWR and L&YR merged with various other railway companies to form one of the 'Big Four' companies, the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway (LMS). James was completely put out of service in this time, and was left in his shed for two years without any regular servicing. When the first Fat Controller came to the LMS looking for engines for sale, he was browsing the selection they had, and saw James in the corner, looking depressed and derelict. To many's surprise, The Fat Controller decided to buy James. James was loaded onto a flatbed, and Winston came to take him to Sodor. Winston became one of James' closest friends in his early years on Sodor, and gave James an affinity for the colour red. When James arrived on Sodor, he was taken to Knapford, and, once again, became a goods engine. However, he didn't complain, as he was finally out of the sheds. A few weeks after his arrival, James had to pull a train with very troublesome trucks indeed. The trucks pushed him down an incline, and he lost control of his speed. When his driver attempted to stop him, his wooden brake blocks sparked, and caught on fire. He flew through Knapford, screaming, and crashed a few miles before Edward's Station. He was badly damaged from this crash, and when placed back on the track by Thomas, he was unable to move. After Thomas pulled James back from the scene of the accident, the Fat Controller sent James away to Crovan's Gate Works for an overhaul, and Thomas was awarded a branch line. When James came back from his overhaul, he was painted red with yellow stripes, instead of black with red stripes. This new paint job made him feel very proud and conceited. he began boasting around the other engines and the trucks, saying he was the most splendid engine on the Island. Edward began to teach James how to properly shunt trucks and coaches. After a while, the Fat Controller allowed James to take his first train. James bumped the coaches hard while doing so, knocking the back wheel of one off the rails. Edward came to pull it back onto the track, and decided to double-head the train. Initially, James refused, but caved in when Edward told him he could go to the front. But while showing off, he accidentally doused the Fat Controller with a water after waiting at the platform. Not wanting to stay behind James took off with Edward and the train in tow. When he got back to the sheds that night, The Fat Controller scolded him severely. After that, the Fat Controller allowed him to take a train again, which he did. But when he'd been preparing the coaches, he'd bumped them too hard, which led to one of the brake-pipes opening. The train was stuck outside Henry's Tunnel, until someone came forward to volunteer their shoelace to tie down a pad of newspaper to close the hole made by James. When they got moving again, James wisely decided he should wait a while before taking coaches again. A few weeks later, Henry and Gordon began complaining and groaning about having to shunt their own trains. James, realizing that if he didn't go along with this, he might be made fun of, decided to have the same opinion. The three big engines went on strike soon enough, and refused to leave their sheds. In response to this, the Fat Controller bought a small saddle tank engine to take over from the big engines. The engine was named Percy, and he quickly went to work along the Ffarquhar Branch Line, while Thomas was helping Edward on the Main Line. The Fat Controller realized that the three engines wouldn't be able to keep this up, so he brought some engines from the old railway companies that existed on Sodor before the NWR, and had them help out. One week later, the three big engines decided that they would like to go back to work, as they were feeling quite miserable shut-up in the shed, and so, the railway returned to normal. Stories of the NWR When Henry fell ill on the night the Flying Kipper was to be taken, the Fat Controller was going to have James take it, but James was on the Mainland participating in the World's Best Dressed Engine competition, so he couldn't pull it. Personality While James can be conceited and vain at times, he has a good heart and a healthy sense of rivalry. He tries to do good wherever he goes, but sometimes he tries too hard and fails miserably. He can also find it hard to apologise, as back on the L&YR, you would just growl and get on with your work. James also has monophobia, the fear of being alone. All those times he was shut up in the shed made him very sad and lonely. He hates being alone because it reminds him of those awful conditions he experienced on the L&YR. Basis and Technical Details James is based on a L&YR Class 28 Tender Engine, but is said to be a prototype build. These engines were designed by George Hughes, and is a 2-6-0 design. The model used in Stories of the NWR is the Sodor Island 3D model, which is sadly not available anymore. Appearances Season 1 * The Scottish Kipper (mentioned) Trivia * While writing this article, Denthur came up with two episodes and one special both featuring James as the main character, which are currently in production. * James is red. Category:North-Western Railway Engines Category:The Steam Team Category:Sodor's Red Engines Category:Characters